An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft that can be piloted by remote control and/or an on-board computer. This allows the UAV to be controlled without a human pilot being aboard the UAV. A UAV may form part of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which can include a UAV, a base station, for example a ground-based controller, and/or a system of communications between the UAV and the base station.
In some cases the base station may be configured to allow the UVA to land on the base station. For example, the base station may comprise a platform on which the UAV may land. When landing the UVA on the ground or on a ground-based base station, such as a static platform, it is desirable to land the drone as softly as possible so that the UAV and/or the base station are not damaged during the landing process. A soft landing can be achieved by ensuring that the speed of the drone is sufficiently low so as to not impart a large force to the ground and/or the base station as the UAV touches down.
With the advent of autonomous vehicles it desirable to be able land a UAV on the vehicle whilst the vehicle is moving. For example, the UAV may be configured to deliver cargo to the vehicle, and stopping the vehicle each time to allow the UAV to land may be inconvenient, or even dangerous.
However, landing a UAV on a moving vehicle can be difficult, since the UAV may not be able to account for unpredictable movements caused by turbulence and/or by the vehicle travelling over uneven ground.